Do you keep a journal? I’ve known for a while how good journaling is for my mental and emotional health, but I often lack the discipline and motivation to do it. I’m a classic questioner, so I decided that compiling a list of reasons WHY I should keep a journal will help me out a lot. And if I maybe convince you to pick up this good practice as well, I’ll consider my life work complete. Okay, almost complete 😉
20 Reasons You Should Start Journaling
- Journaling helps you process tricky emotional situations
- Keeping a journal creates a time capsule so you can see how you’ve grown throughout the years
- A journal helps you to become more honest with yourself
- Journaling can help you achieve your goals
- It relieves stress
- Keeping a journal helps you understand yourself better
- Journaling helps you solve problems
- Writing regularly in a journal helps you become a better writer
- Journaling captures memories
- Keeping a journal practice eases anxiety
- Journaling helps you remember your ideas, dreams, or other important things
- A journal fosters creativity (or gives you new ideas)
- Journaling can boost your self-esteem
- Writing in a journal clears your mind
- Journaling improves your memory
- Keeping a journal helps you heal
- Journaling increases self-awareness
- A journal increases gratitude
- Journaling regularly can improve your handwriting
- Journaling makes you happier
How to Get Started Journaling
Buy the supplies that work for you
You may not know what supplies you would even prefer, so feel free to experiment at first. The right journal and pen can make all the difference. I discovered I prefer spiral bound journals and felt tip pens. Also think about whether you prefer lined or unlined. Lots of colorful pens or just your trusty favorite black pen?
The pens I always keep coming back to are these trusty ones. Lately, the pen that I actually make sure I don’t lose and even go out to the car in the cold to retrieve is this one. BUT I’ve heard good things about these pens and am thinking about buying them next.
Keep your journaling entries short
I used to make myself write out allll the thoughts and it took so long that I started to dread doing it. Give yourself permission to keep really short entries, even if it’s only a line or two.
Have a specific time you do it every day
If your goal is to journal every day but you haven’t planned out WHEN you’ll do it, chances are you won’t get around to it. Pick a specific time, like before bed or right after you wake up, and do your best to stick to it. If you miss a day, no pressure. Just get back to it the next day.
Skip the first page
Sometimes a brand new, completely blank journal can be really intimidating. I don’t know what it is about that first page, but for some reason it can be really tough to fill in. Give yourself the gift of skipping the first page. You can always add a poem or sticker or drawing later on if the blankness is driving you crazy. The key is to just do whatever you need to to get started.
Keep it simple
This goes hand in hand with keeping your entries short. If you promise yourself you’re going to write about your whole day every day, list out every single emotion you’re feeling each morning, etc., it’s going to be really hard to stay motivated.
Use prompts
This one has been huge for me. I journal first thing in the morning and oftentimes my brain doesn’t feel awake enough for me to feel like I have anything to say. The other benefit of using prompts is that it helps you write about or work through things you would never have thought of on your own. Wins all around.
Remember that it gets easier the more you do it
Whenever I’ve gotten out of the habit of journaling regularly, starting back up again feels like torrtuuuuure. I’m not sure why that is. It almost feels like there’s some kind of blockage in my brain preventing me from writing out my thoughts anymore. BUT I’ve learned that if I just power through it, eventually it’ll stop feeling like self-torture (think of better description) and start feeling like therapy. But sometimes I have to start by writing out stupid stuff like, “I’m really tired today.”
Open your expectations for what journaling could look like
This is another huge thing that makes journaling both more enjoyable and easier to stick to. It doesn’t have to be the same thing every day. Maybe one day you use a prompt and the next day you just write out a list of things you’ve been thankful for lately and the day after that you write out a prayer. Heck, journaling can even involve writing out your grocery list. Sounds boring, I know, but how fun would it be to read through a grocery list you created ten years ago? It would totally help you remember what your favorite foods were and what your life looked like. So yeah, open your expectations of what journaling could look like and you’ll have a lot more fun with it.
Experiment with different forms
The internet is full of different journaling ideas, whether it’s the bullet journal, drawing, writing, or some kind of mix of all above. Try out different forms and see what you like best.
Promise yourself you’ll never let anyone else read it
One of the scariest thoughts about journaling is after having a good emotional vent session and then picturing someone else picking it up and reading it? No? Just me? Or sometimes I want to clean myself up a little bit so that if I die before I can burn all my journals, whichever relative of mine that has the joy of going through my stuff won’t think I’m a terrible person. The likelihood of someone actually reading your journals is slim, but if you subconsciously write as if someone might read it in the future, you’re going to heavily edit yourself and that just defeats the point. So for your mental and emotional well-being, promise yourself you’ll never let anyone else read your journals and maybe ask your BFF to burn them in case you go rather suddenly.
Have I convinced you yet?
Journaling definitely takes time and effort, but the benefits more than pay for the cost. I’ll be sharing different journaling prompts this week, so stay tuned for those!
